Jay Nordlinger interviewed him while attending Davos and published this account over at NRO. During his interview President Klaus called out Al Gore as a threat to freedom and pointed out that most regulations (most, not all) cause more harm than good. Don't hold back, Mr. President, please tell us what you think. Jay promises there will be more later....
A group of us met this afternoon with Václav Klaus, the president of the Czech Republic, which has the presidency of the European Union at the moment.
I asked Klaus something about global warming: “Al Gore calls people who disagree with him ‘deniers.’ I heard him do this just yesterday, in the Congress Center.” (The main forum here in Davos.) “Some of us think that a parallel to Holocaust deniers is intended, or implied. What do you think?”
Klaus said, “Al Gore knows that I’m the most important ‘denier’ in the world. But he met with me here for two hours, and we had a normal, friendly discussion. I am a ‘denier,’ even if I dislike that term. I don’t think there is any global warming. I don’t see it in the statistical data.” (Klaus, incidentally, is a professional economist and statistician.) “I don’t believe in the results of the IPCC” (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
When it comes to the climate, “there are competing theories. I am sorry that people like Al Gore are not ready to listen to competing theories. I listen to what they have to say.”
Klaus has published a book called “Blue Planet in Green Shackles: What Is Endangered: Climate or Freedom?” Klaus told us that the answer is freedom — freedom is endangered — adding, “I imagine National Review would understand what I mean.” I replied, “Actually, there are differing views about global warming at National Review.”
Another journalist present said, “What freedom do you mean? What freedom is endangered?” Klaus pointed to her and said, “Yours, mine, [turning to the World Economic Forum representative] the moderator’s. The freedom of publications like National Review.”
A different journalist, with high-pitched indignation, said, “Are you saying that Al Gore is threatening freedom?” Klaus answered, “More or less. Global-warming alarmism is challenging our freedom, and Al Gore is a leader of that movement.”
About the international financial crisis, Klaus said, “I am more afraid of the ‘reforms’ that will result from the crisis than I am of the crisis itself. This crisis will be misused by politicians to constrain economies around the world. I’m afraid of the potential consequences of overactivity by politicians,” as those politicians “try to win votes by pretending that they are coming to the rescue.”
Klaus later said that, as a rule, “it’s difficult to make a good regulation” — a regulation that is helpful rather than harmful.
I will have more Klaus in the Davos Journal next week. By the way, is there a national leader today whom you respect more?
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